In recent years, speaker-dependent voice recognition systems have become increasingly sophisticated. In fact, Texas Instruments provides a TI System 1500 that permits voice recognition of commands for the purpose of performing numerous functions. An important feature of voice recognition system such as the TI System 1500 is the ability to speed dial or access a party with only a voice command. For example, a person may issue a command to the voice recognition system and say "Call Bob Johnson." The voice recognition system will then access an associated pre-preprogrammed database having a telephone, or other access, number associated with a certain Bob Johnson. The system will then immediately use or dial that number.
Often, however, persons who use such speaker-dependent voice recognition systems for performing this type of voice, or "repertory," dialing forget who they have on their vocabulary list. On forgetting, a user will try to enroll a phrase that is the same as or confusingly similar to a phrase already existing on the vocabulary list. For example, if a person seeks to add to his vocabulary list the phrase "Bob Johnson" when that phrase already exists, this can result in an apparent system malfunction. Upon later seeking to call Bob Johnson, the user or subscriber will issue the "Call Bob Johnson" command, but the system can only use one of two phone numbers to make the call. Therefore, the user cannot properly control which number the system will call. Moreover, if the person adds the phrase "Bob Johnston" to the list when the confusingly similar "Bob Johnson" already exists, a similar system error may result. In either event, system malfunction will appear to occur. It is important to understand, however, that the errors that result from having more than one telephone number associated with a single phrase or a confusingly similar phrase in a vocabulary list are not due to bad system performance. Instead, the errors result from misuse of the voice recognition system.
Similar problems exist in enrolling general speaker dependent commands in a speak-dependent voice recognition systems.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and system that prevent adding already existing and confusingly similar phrases to a vocabulary list for a speaker-dependent voice recognition system.
There is a need for a system that optimizes vocabulary list functions for a speaker-dependent voice recognition system by preventing additions to the vocabulary list that will cause the system to recognize erroneously.
Furthermore, a need has arisen for an improved voice recognition system that prevents the entry of confusingly similar phrases in a vocabulary list.